The art of printing can enhance the legibility of text. Early block prints omitted spacing between words, punctuation, capitalization and other things now expected as part of formatted printed text. Conventions generally observed in typesetting, such as allowing spaces between words, special characters at the end of words, commas and periods convey linguistically relevant information about the text. Advances in the technology of desktop publishing have greatly enhanced the versatility with which printed matter can be formatted. A variety of fonts, precise kerning, variations in leading, column width and other parameters can be modified with ease, giving formatted text any desired appearance.
Linguistic research has enriched our knowledge of what the structure of language entails, and psycholinguistic research has explored which aspects of that structure play a role in language behaviors such as reading. The results of studies show that the intuitively defined “phrase” plays a significant role in normal language comprehension. The manner in which text is formatted can have a significant impact on the speed and comprehension with which it is read. Adjusting the spacing and other physical aspects of text to reflect patterns of speech assists a reader in absorbing the content of printed matter. During the last century, psychological research has elucidated a great deal of information about the visual processes involved in activities such as reading. The most significant discovery is that the visual system is blind when the eyes are actually in rapid motion. That is, that reading depends on a series of snapshots of the line of type. This constrains the optimal text display to be one in which phrases are equally dense, to aid the eye in concentrating on points of maximal information. It is desirable to have a device that formats text in a manner that focuses the reader's eye efficiently on the text.
In addition to readability, another problem addressed by the present invention is the presence of rivers. Formatted text can have rivers, i.e. streaks of white space in the text that detract from the aesthetics of the text presentation and in turn detract from readability. It remains desirable to have a method for formatting text appearing on paper and other media (e.g. video and computer display screens, LCD panels, etc.) for the greatest degree of readability.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to increase the readability of text resolving the phrasing and other challenges to optimal readability.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that reduces physical space needed for text display while maintaining the readability of the text.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to enable a reader to increase the speed with which he or she can read text.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to enable a reader to increase his or her comprehension and retention of text.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that reduces the incidence of rivers in formatted text.